Promise
by Salem Svartulv
Summary: "I hate that we had to come here, that you had to come here. And that I can't do anything to make it better." "You do enough. It's so much easier to ignore their words when you're holding my hand like this." .:: V7 what if ::.:: Atlas Ball ::.:: Bumbleby ::.


**Disclaimer:** as always, none of the characters used in this story belongs to me and my only porpouse is to entertain.

 _Bumbleby owns my soul~ this is the only thing I can say to justify this story. Someone on Tumblr asked for a Atlas Ball Bees fanfic and well...my head gears started turning and I ended up with yhis. Is probably not what she had in mind but oh well, I still think you can enjoy it ;)_

* * *

 **Promise**

"Al of this is a colossal waste of time," she practically spat the words, and they were received with a couple of affirmative grunts from the other two presents in the room. "We don't have time for this!"

As she finished tying up her golden locks in an elegant half-up, sliding a delicate hair pin with tiny amber stones as decoration, her eyes full of indignation searched for the other girls in the mirror.

"We know Yang. Believe me, I'm the least excited here about this," Ruby sighed heavily, awkwardly pulling at the strings of her red knee-length dress and tidying up the skirt a little.

"As much as I like the idea of having another fancy dance with you guys, this sucks," Nora nodded in agreement, tying the two white strips of her own dress —, slightly longer, with an intrincate pink and green design playfully sewed across the skirt —, behind her neck.

"It totally does." The blonde rolled her eyes.

"That's an understament," Weiss entered the room with her arms firmly crossed in front of herself, clearly distressed. Her dress was a pale blue sleeveless gown, with a silver ribbon tighting it at the waist and a straight skirt reaching her ankles.

Yang's expression melted into concern in a matter of seconds, and she walked to the young heiress, putting a hand on her shoulder as encouragement.

"Sorry. We know is not easy for you to be here for starters."

Weiss sighed and nodded a single time, "well, we have to do it anyway." The whole Back-in-Atlas thing was enough stress for her. The fact that tonight's party was held in her honour and _the Brave huntsmen that had brought her home safe_ , made it even worse.

"It only will be one night," Ruby tried to sound positive, though it was hard while she was having trouble standing on a pair of dark red heels. "Who knows, it could even be fun, maybe?"

"You definitely don't know Atlas high-class if you believe that," there was no bite in Blake's words when she joined the conversation, only amusement at her leader's still fairly innocent mindset. She smiled from the door, putting on a black jacket over a violet button-up shirt, her hair already tyed in a simple low ponytail.

"Saddly, she's right," confirmed Weiss. "I've been in more than enough of this 'parties' to know that."

"But we're this time, so we can make it better!" Nora jumped and hugged Weiss' shoulders with an arm, wide smile full of energy as always.

"And that's a promise!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically, replacing the redhead at hugging Weiss when she moved towards Blake.

"Also, looking hot girl!" Mentioned Nora giving the faunus a small bump on the shoulder. "I like the suit look on you."

"Thanks." Blake's response was quiet, a small smirk just curving the left side of her lips, and Yang noted that If it hadn't been for the cat ears twitching slightly, her expression would have been unreadable.

"No, seriously," Nora insisted, mischievous smile stretching her lips as she turned towards the Xiao Long. "Don't you think so Yang?"

It was until that very moment that the blonde came to notice she had been left frozen by her partner's appearance. She blinked twice before she could move again, bringing up her prostetic arm to rub the back of her neck as she quickly nodded. "You look... Really gorgeous Blake," she said quietly, voice seemingly breathless.

The black-haired beauty smiled wider, and a pinkish tint colored her cheeks as she hugged herself with an arm, not saying anything. The other three girls looked between them with knowing eyes before Weiss coughed slightly, calling for their attention.

"Well, we should already be on our way by now, if you're ready," she looked at Ruby and Nora nodding to her firmly, and then turned her gaze towards the black and yellow pair. "Don't be late you two."

"I'm just gonna try to figure this out," Blake raised a hand showing a simple black tie.

"And I just need to finish my make up," Yang idly added.

The other three girls didn't make any coments on how Yang's make up had been ready before Weiss entered the room, or how if Blake needed help with her tie Jaune or Ren would be more than happy to help her. Their thing was kind of an open secret. They hadn't talk much about it or mentioned to the rest of the group —, They still didn't knew exactly what _it_ was, after all —, but everybody knew something else was growing between them. It was just a matter of _when_ or _how_ at this point.

"Do you need help with the tie?" Asked Yang once they were alone, leaning her hips against the dressing table.

"You know how to tie one?" Blake raised a brow, surprised, but extended her hand to leave the black garment on hers.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," the blonde winked, passing the tie around her neck and starting to work on it. "You really look gorgeous in that suit by the way. Really sexy," she added, letting her eyes wander to take in her whole silhoutte, the perfect way the black cloth hugged her figure.

"I'm the sexy one? Really? I thought you were looking in a mirror just before I came in," Blake shot back, a little too casually.

Yang felt her cheeks grow hot —, hotter than what her semblance settled as her default—. She wasn't used to Blake being this... Flirty? Suave? Whatever it was, it never failed to turn her into a blushing mess. She couldn't even bring herself to meet her eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on the tie she was tidying up, and pursing her lips when she felt her chest shaking with laugher under her hands.

"You're cheating."

"It's not my fault you can't take compliments," the faunus patted her cheek before taking a step back and reaching for her hand. "C'mon, Weiss is right, we should be going," she murmured, her tone betraying reluctance.

Yang held her hand more firmly. "Hey, Ruby and Nora are right, it will be better with all of us here. Besides, I've been dying to dance with you again since Beacon," she winked, getting a tiny smile in return. "This night could really be fun!"

* * *

Atlas wasn't fun. At all.

And no, she wasn't saying that in the " _this up-tight rich people don't know how to throw a real party and everything sucks_ " kind of way. It was more... The " _you faunus aren't allowed in the ball room so go away and don't make me call the police"_ kind of way.

Things hadn't been easy for her in all the time they had spent in Atlas already. Disgusted looks and hateful comments whispered under cold breaths were an everyday occurrence, but they were things she could just try to ignore, and keep going with the group's help. This time, she didn't have anywhere to hide and pretend. She was too concious of the fact they needed to go to that stupid ball, too concious of the stares of almost everyone fixed on her, and of the fact that her fingers curled around Yang's had probably been the only thing that stopped the blonde from punching the guard's face, the others hardly restraining themselves with clenched fists and burning deathglares.

It had taken some time, but at the end she had convinced them to go inside without her. Weiss needed to be there and talk to her brother in private, Ruby had promised her they won't leave her alone in any moment, and Qrow wanted to get some information and hopefully a full conversation with general Ironwood. It was all so much more important than her, and Atlas won't just stop being racist to make things easier. So they parted ways, she told them she would make her way back to their hotel and wait there, and reluctantly, almost all of them agreed. Almost

"You know? It's a shame that such a beautiful place is so full of scumbags," even with venom in her tone Yang's voice was warm in the middle of the cold night. The hand that still held hers squeezed tightly, and as pulled by a magnet Blake's head found her shoulder, leaning against her to fight the cold wind.

"Well, we always knew Weiss' father wasn't the most wonderful and open-minded person on Remnant," she shrugged, not wanting to dwell on those things any more than necessary.

"I... I know, but... I mean, is not just him. Is everything," frustration was clear in her partner's voice. Blake raised her eyes yo look at her, finding her lips tight in a slim line and her eyes vaguely staring at the lamposts and trees they passed by. "I hate that we had to come here, that you had to come here. And that I can't do anything to make it better."

"You do enough," the shorter girl shook her head a moment, squeezing again her hand to get her lilac eyes to look at her. "It's so much easier to ignore their words when you're holding my hand like this."

Yang stared a her in silence, and even in the partial darkness of the night the blush on her face was easy to notice. Blake chuckled softly, snuggling to her side and enjoying the calm.

"Even if I still think you didn't need to come with me," she whispered seconds later. "You could have stayed with Ruby and the others."

"Please, that party was going to suck anyway, it wasn't worth it to be there without you," the brawler shrugged before letting out a shameless chuckle. "And also, you know that without you there to calm me down they probably would have to escort me outside in less than five minutes for knocking out some racist snob."

Blake hummed amusedly. "You have a point," she nodded before settling in confortable silence.

She had missed so much those moments with her partner, when they didn't even need words between them. They always had a special connection that Blake hadn't been able to form with anybody else. Not with Sun, or Ilia, or Weiss, or Ruby, not with Adam. It didn't matter how different they were from eachother, there always had been something else between Yang and herself, something deep and beautiful, that Blake thought had been killed when she ran away. But for some strange reason, and monumental good luck she still couldn't believe she had, it was still there.

She closed her eyes softly, trusting her partner to lead her the rest of the way, but it wasn't more than a couple feet when she felt her stop walking.

"There it is!" Exclaimed the blonde, suddenly moving away but never letting go of her hand.

"What is it?" Blake questioned, feeling herself being dragged across the street without putting any resistance.

"I saw this place when we passed by in the car, is the main reason I insisted to walk back instead of taking it," explained the blonde, pushing open a black metal gate and taking a step to the side to let Blake enter first.

Still not sure of what he partner was talking about, the faunus took a couple steps into the place, looking around what seemed to be a small park, or maybe a big public garden. Gray stone tiles created paths all around the winter flower beds, where yellow jasmines and primroses mixed with purplish pansies and bright white honeysuckles, all resting under the shelter of tall birch and evergreen trees covered in snowflakes. A couple lamposts and long lines of white lights like fireflies between the trees gave enough light for an intimate atmosphere, like something taken out from one of the romance novels Blake had read sometime.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, marvelled.

"Well, you two needed to match," Yang said, a devilish grin probably in her face judging by her tone.

The black-haired girl turned around, but the clever comeback she had thought died in her lips as the whole portrait of her companion was processed by her brain. Yang looked like pure sunshine in the middle of that winter night. The light yellow dress hugged her curves gently, bringing the attention to all the right places, and with the way the red and orange tones cut through the color in the uneven folds of her knee-length skirt, it was almost like it was made from fire itself. There was just a thin golden half jacket covering her, something only someone with a semblance like hers could wear under that climate without freezing, and the two inches of her heels made her taller than ever.

"I..." Blake swallowed, averting her eyes to the flowers again. "Why... Did you want to come here?"

Here ears twitched at the sound of her heels against the color, but she didn't look back up until one of Yang's hands cupped her cheek, urging her chin up. "I just thought you would like it," she whispered with a light shrug. "And I wanted to make you happy after all that. Besides, you can't tell me this place isn't romantic."

Blake nodded without even noticing, mirroring the blonde's smile and letting her interwine the fingers of her prostetic arm with hers comfortably, bringing her free hand to rest on her shoulder. "And your intention was try to seduce me?" She finally shot back when her voice got back its strenght.

Yang's laugh sounded slightly breathless, her left hand moving to rest on her waist. "Maybe. Am I doing a good job?"

 _"Maybe,"_ she retorted amused, lowering her head to rest on her shoulder and sighing contently.

They had been walking the thin line between platonic and romantic in their relationship for sometime now, opting not to label the handholds and deep stares as anything, never trying to go beyond that. Because they weren't ready. There was still too much to talk and fix and make better. In that moment, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, they had finally reached the right point to move foward.

One of her ears moved again, searching for the source of the music she could suddenly hear, and then shuddered a little when the sound of Yang's laugh filled the air around them.

"Somebody read my mind," the brawler spealed quietly, tighting her embrace. "I was just thinking that I should have brought music and this would've been perfect."

Keeping her eyes closed, she returned the embrace, lazily snuggling her head in the crook of her partner's neck. "Maybe it's a sign," she commented, and felt the other girl tighten the grip on her hand to guide her, dancing at the rhythm of the subtle tune.

"It sure is," she heard her say before pressing a kiss on top of her head, making her smile like a fool.

And in that very moment, she couldn't find a single reason in her brain not to take a step further. Her eyes fluttered open and her head moved back to let her gaze meet with amethyst orbes full of tenderness. Snowflakes kept slowly falling around them, and the music had raised its tempo somewhere she couldn't locate, but it didn't matter. In that very moment it was like time had frozen, everything had dissapeared, and the only thing she was aware of was Yang's warm against her body and the certainty that this was _right._

She used the hand that rested on her shoulder to support herself as she raised on the tips of her toes to reach for her lips. Yang didn't move an inch, letting her take the lead, giving her the chance to back down if she wanted.

She didn't. And their first kiss was calm, and warm, and wonderful, the type of kiss that gives you butterflies and makes you hear birds to singing inside your head. It tasted like the sweetest promise, like a renewed vow to never leave eachother's side. She felt both of Yang's hands cupping her cheeks as if she wanted to prevent her from breaking away the contact, and her own limbs linked together around her neck as response. She would never want to break away.

And at least for that short moment that felt like eternity, everything was perfect.

* * *

 _thanks for reading and I hope you liked it! I'm pretty happy with it myself ;)_

 _Also, good luck everybody with the finale tomorrow'! We'll read eachother again if it didn't kill me! xD_


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